Minnow bucket with movable means for grasping and holding bait

ABSTRACT

A minnow bucket having a perforated wall for moving the minnows in the bucket toward a pair of cooperating jaws. The jaws receive a few of the minnows, which are then passed through an opening in the top of the bucket to a position in which the user can pass a hook through an individual minnow.

United States Patent 19 11] 3,834,062 Nalepka Sept. 10, 1974 1 MINNOW BUCKET WITH MOVABLE 2,790,266 4/1957 Williamson 43/55 MEANS FOR S G AND HOLDING 2,948,986 8/1960 Williamson 43/55 BAIT 3,380,186 4/1968 Donner 43/56 3,541,722 11/1970 Garrison 43/56 X [76] Inventor: Walter H. Nalepka, 33648 Michele 3,726,039 4/1973 Borr'e11i 43/56 St., Livonia, Mich. 48150 Primary ExaminerFi Barry Shay [22] Had July 1972 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Char1es W. Chandler [21] Appl. No.: 274,105

[57] ABSTRACT A minnow bucket having a perforated wall for moving E 58] d I55 56 57 the minnows in the bucket toward a pair of cooperatie 0 earc ing jaws The jaws receive a few of the minnows, which are then passed through an opening in the top [56] References cued of the bucket to a position in which the user can pass UNITED STATES PATENTS a hook through an individual minnow. 752,600 2/1904 Sinclair 43/55 UX 2,082,754 6/1937 Peterson 43/56 9 Clams 6 Drawing Flgures mama sm 0 m4 SHEET 1 [IF 2 cam-4.0 2

magnum man SHEET 2 BF 2 FIG-3 FIG-4 FIG-6 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, a preferred minnow This invention relates to minnow buckets having bucket isillustrated in FIG. I at 10. Bucket includes means for removing individual minnows from the bucket without removing all of the minnows from the water in the bucket.

Conventional minnow buckets usually have a perforated inner container for removing the minnows from the bucket in order to allow the user to grasp an individual minnow. Some buckets of the prior art also disclose means for either metering an individual minnow from the bucket, such as US. Pat. No. 3,380,186 issued to N. W. Donner. Other prior art buckets have jaw devices for restraining the motion of an individual minnow for receiving a hook. Such a device is illustrated in US. Pat. No. 2,082,754 which issued to W. H. Peterson. Such prior art devices usually remove a major portion or all of the minnows from the water and from the bucket before an individual minnow can be selected from the other minnows.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One of the purposes of the present invention is to provide a minnow bucket having jaws for engaging a few of the minnows in the bucket and then removing such minnows through a top opening to a position in which the user can readily pass a hook through a minnow without touching it with his hands.

One advantage of the present invention is that only the minnows that are to be immediately used are re moved from the bucket. In addition, the minnows are so positioned in the jaws that the fisherman can hook one or more of the minnows and then return the remainder into the bucket.

Still further objects and advantages will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art of the invention upon reference to the following detailed description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The description refers to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a minnow bucket illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention with a portion of the bucket top removed for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the minnow bucket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the jaws raised from their lowest position and the perforated wall lowered to its lower position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 2 the pivoted guide being removed to show the jaws;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the jaws with the jaw support removed to show the manner in which the jaws are opened; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the manner in which the jaws can pivot open independently of the cam.

an elongated box-like container 12 having a top 14.

Container 12 is adapted to contain water for a plurality of minnows that are to be used by a fisherman. As best shown in FIG. 3, a cover 16 is pivotally mounted on top 14 so as to close an opening 18 through which water and minnows can be introduced into the container.

A hollow wall 20 is mounted in the mid-section of the container 12, and has a mid-section with a height about half that of the container. The side edges of wall 20 extend above top 14. A pair of similarly-shaped perforated walls 22 and 24 are mounted in the container on opposite sides of hollow wall 20. A pair of sides 26 and 28 connect walls 22 and 24 together such that they can be raised and lowered together. Perforated walls 22 and 24 are normally disposed in the water beneath the position of the minnows, and preferably are sloped from the opposite ends of the container 12 down toward hollow wall 20.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a handle 30 is connected to sides 26 and 28 for raising and lowering perforated walls 22 and 24. The sides of handle 30 pass through openings in top 14.

Referring to FIG. 2, as perforated walls 22 and 24 are raised, they raise the minnows, collectively referred to as 32, out of the water and bias them toward the top of hollow wall 20. A pair of cooperating jaws 34 and 36 are mounted in the container so as to be movable between an upper position adjacent container top 14, and a lower position adjacent the open top of wall 20. Jaws 34 and 36 are movable with respect to one another between an open position, illustrated in FIG. 2, and a closed position, illustrated in FIG. 3.

As best shown in FIG. 4, jaws 34 and 36 are pivotally mounted in a rectangular frame 38. The manner in which jaws 34 and 36 open and close is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. The end of each jaw has a pivot finger 40 seated in an opening in frame 38. A pair of springs 42 and 44 embrace the two jaws to bias them toward their closed position. The position of the jaws with respect to one another depends, in part, upon the position of frame 38 in container 12.

Each jaw has a second finger 46 which extends through a slot 48 in frame 38. Slot 48 allows each jaw to move between its open and closed positions. FIG. 5, in which frame 38 has been removed for clarity, shows how finger 46 engages a cam member 50 disposed adjacent each of the vertical sides of frame 38. Cam 50 has a pair of cam sides 52 and 54 each disposed at an angle with respect to the path of motion of frame 38. Cam sides 52 and 54 are formed in such a manner that as jaws 34 and 36 are lowered into the container, they are biased toward their fully open position as illustrated in FIG. 2. As frame 38 is raised through a top opening 56, the fingers 46 of the two jaws move toward one another to permit springs 42 and 44 to close the jaws.

Referring to FIG. 2, when jaws 34 and 36 are in their lower, open position, they are disposed to receive a couple of the minnows 32 from perforated walls 22 and 24. A pair of elongated, pivotally mounted guides 57A and 57B are disposed over the openings between the jaws and wall 20 to guide the minnows from the perforated walls to the jaws. The user then lowers perforated walls 22 and 24. Normally the minnows are of such a length that they drop into a position between the jaws parallel to the length of the jaws. The user then raises frame 38 by means of handle 58 to pass the jaws through the top opening 56. As frame 38 is raised, the jaws pivot guides 57A and 57B upwardly to positions illustrated in FIG. 3. As the jaws are raised, they are biased by springs 42 and 44 toward their closed position to engage the minnows. Preferably the upper position of the frame is such that the jaws are disposed above container opening 56.

Each jaw has a series of transverse slots 58A aligned with similar slots in the other jaw for receiving a fishhook through the body of the minnow without the user having to physically contact the minnow with his hands.

A release member 60 is slidably mounted on frame 38 adjacent one end of jaws 34 and 36. The lower end of release member 60 engages fingers 46 in such a manner that by lowering the release member, the two jaws can be opened to allow removal of the minnow from its position in the jaws. When the minnow has been removed, the user then lowers frame 38 into the container.

Handle means 62 are connected to the container to allow the user to readily carry it. It is to be understood that the preferred minnow bucket allows the user to bait his hook without touching the minnows or even wetting his hands. Because only a couple of the minnows are moved at a time and are disposed in a predetermined location in the jaws, the user can bait his hook even in the dark by merely passing the hook through the slots 58A. The length of the jaws is proportioned such that only one or two minnows are received in them in their open position.

Container 12 could be provided with openings in its sides so that the user can store the entire minnow container in the water while he is fishing to circulate water through the minnow bucket. It is to be understood that there are a variety of structural modifications that can be incorporated for raising and lowering perforated walls 22 and 24, and for raising and lowering frame 38 without departing from the spirit of the inventive concept.

Having described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A minnow bucket comprising:

a container adapted for receiving water and minnows, and having a top opening;

jaw means for closing upon a minnow, means mounting said jaw means in a first position in the container for receiving a minnow, and for movement to a second position by a motion through the top opening for removing the minnow from the container;

wall means mounted on the container so as to be movable through water disposed therein to urge minnows toward the jaw means at such time as they are in said first position;

means mounted on the container and connected to the jaw means for raising them from said first position toward said second position;

means for closing the jaw means as they are being moved toward said scond position, said closing means including a cam mounted on said container and means carried by said jaw means and biased against said cam whereby movement of said jaw means toward said second position closes said jaw means.

2. A minnow bucket as defined in claim 1, in which the jaw means have an opening for passing a hook through the body of a minnow received in the jaw means.

3. A minnow bucket as defined in claim I, in which the means carried by said jaw means are connected to the cam so as to urge said jaw means toward an open position as the jaw means are being returned from said second position toward said first position.

4. A minnow bucket as defined in claim 1, including a release member mounted on the bucket for engaging said means carried by the jaw means to open the jaw means to release a minnow removed from the container.

5. A minnow bucket as defined in claim 1, in which the jaw means are mounted in a central position in the container and in which the wall means comprise a pair of perforated wall members mounted on opposite sides of the jaw means so as to slope downwardly from opposite ends of the container toward the jaw means.

6. A minnow bucket as defined in claim 1, including an elongated guide member pivotally mounted on said container in a position between the jaw means and the wall means such that a minnow disposed therebetween is moved toward the wall means as the jaw means are being raised out of the container.

7. A minnow bucket comprising:

a container adapted for receiving water and minnows, and having a top opening;

a pair of cooperating jaws, means mounting said jaws in a first position in the container for receiving a minnow, and for movement to toward second position outside the container by a motion through the top opening;

means biasing the jaws toward a closed position, the

jaws being relatively movable toward an open position for receiving a minnow, and having a slot for passing a hook into the body of a minnow disposed between the jaws;

a pair of perforated walls disposed in the container on opposite sides of the jaws, the walls being movable between a lower position, below the first position of the jaws, and an upper position, above the first position of the jaws;

the container having an opening for introducing water and minnows to a position above the perforated walls;

means for raising the walls from said lower position toward said upper position such that the minnows are urged toward a position between the jaws at such times as they are in said first jaw position;

a handle connected to the jaws for raising them and a minnow disposed therebetween toward the jaws second position; and

a cam mounted on the container and means carried by the jaws engaged with the cam such that as the jaws are being raised twoard their second position, the jaws are moved from said open position toward said closed position.

8. A minnow bucket as defined in claim 7, including an elongated guide mounted on the container between each of said walls and a said jaw such that a minnow can pass from the wall over the guide to a position between the jaws, each guide being movable such that as the jaws are being moved toward their second position, the guides urge any minnows disposed thereon toward the water in the container and away from the jaws.

9. A minnow bucket as defined in claim 7, in which each of the walls slopes upwardly from a wall edge adjacent the jaws toward a wall edge spaced from the 

1. A minnow bucket comprising: a container adapted for receiving water and minnows, and having a top opening; jaw means for closing upon a minnow, means mounting said jaw means in a first position in the container for receiving a minnow, and for movement to a second position by a motion through the top opening for removing the minnow from the container; wall means mounted on the container so as to be movable through water disposed therein to urge minnows toward the jaw means at such time as they are in said first position; means mounted on the container and connected to the jaw means for raising them from said first position toward said second position; means for closing the jaw means as they are being moved toward said scond position, said closing means including a cam mounted on said container and means carried by said jaw means and biased against said cam whereby movement of said jaw means toward said second position closes said jaw means.
 2. A minnow bucket as defined in claim 1, in which the jaw means have an opening for passing a hook through the body of a minnow received in the jaw means.
 3. A minnow bucket as defined in claim 1, in which the means carried by said jaw means are connected to the cam so as to urge said jaw means toward an open position as the jaw means are being returned from said second position toward said first position.
 4. A minnow bucket as defined in claim 1, including a release member mounted on the bucket for engaging said means carried by the jaw means to open the jaw means to release a minnow removed from the container.
 5. A minnow bucket as defined in claim 1, in which the jaw means are mounted in a central position in the container and in which the wall means comprise a pair of perforated wall members mounted on opposite sides of the jaw means so as to slope downwardly from opposite ends of the container toward the jaw means.
 6. A minnow bucket as defined in claim 1, including an elongated guide member pivotally mounted on said container in a position between the jaw means and the wall means such that a minnow disposed therebetween is moved toward the wall means as the jaw means are being raised out of the container.
 7. A minnow bucket comprising: a container adapted for receiving water and minnows, and having a top opening; a pair of cooperating jaws, means mounting said jaws in a first position in the container for receiving a minnow, and for movement to toward second position outside the container by a motion through the top opening; means biasing the jaws toward a closed position, the jaws being relatively movable toward an open position for receiving a minnow, and having a slot for passing a hook into the body of a minnow disposed between The jaws; a pair of perforated walls disposed in the container on opposite sides of the jaws, the walls being movable between a lower position, below the first position of the jaws, and an upper position, above the first position of the jaws; the container having an opening for introducing water and minnows to a position above the perforated walls; means for raising the walls from said lower position toward said upper position such that the minnows are urged toward a position between the jaws at such times as they are in said first jaw position; a handle connected to the jaws for raising them and a minnow disposed therebetween toward the jaws second position; and a cam mounted on the container and means carried by the jaws engaged with the cam such that as the jaws are being raised twoard their second position, the jaws are moved from said open position toward said closed position.
 8. A minnow bucket as defined in claim 7, including an elongated guide mounted on the container between each of said walls and a said jaw such that a minnow can pass from the wall over the guide to a position between the jaws, each guide being movable such that as the jaws are being moved toward their second position, the guides urge any minnows disposed thereon toward the water in the container and away from the jaws.
 9. A minnow bucket as defined in claim 7, in which each of the walls slopes upwardly from a wall edge adjacent the jaws toward a wall edge spaced from the jaws. 